NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, May 4, 2009                                          

 Media Contacts:
Monica Arias Miranda, Co-Chair, Hispanic CCC / [email protected] / 518-895-5453
Anne Pope, Chair, African Heritage CCC / [email protected] / 518-463-5463
Lauren Rivera Whitlock, US Census/[email protected] / 518 229 5845

African Heritage & Hispanic Complete Count Committees: 


2010 Census is not Over!

Hard-to-Count Communities at Risk   

Tuesday, May 4, 2010 at 5:00 PM at the John A. Howe Library, Schuyler street, in Albany 

ALBANY, NEWYORK  (05/04/10) - With hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding at stake to Capital Region cities and towns, the African Heritage and Hispanic Complete Count Committees are reaching out to the hard-to-count communities to encourage their participation in the 2010 Census.  It is critical that the historically undercounted, such as the Latino, African American, and immigrant communities know to open their doors and participate with Census takers or call their information into 1-866-872-6868 (English) or 1-866-928-2010 (Spanish).

Anne Pope, chair of the African Heritage Complete Count Committee, “We want to raise awareness among the residents in the hard-to-count communities of the opportunity to call their census information in to the Census Bureau as well as to encourage them to cooperate with the enumerators as they come to their homes.  We will continue to remind them of the importance of everyone being counted.”  She continued, “We also want to take this opportunity to encourage residents in the hard to count areas to welcome census workers into their homes when they knock on their doors.  And we caution to ask for identification to be sure they are census workers.  The community’s cooperation is critically important to the process of getting a complete and 100% count this 2010 Census.”

As the nation’s largest minority, Latinos have been historically under-counted by the census for a variety of reasons, including a lack of bilingual information for Spanish speakers, mistaken fears of immigration raids and too few Latino census workers.  We want to continue encouraging this population’s participation in this year’s Census by stressing its confidentiality; Census data cannot be released to any government entities for any reason,” noted Monica Arias Miranda, co-chair of the Hispanic Complete Count Committee of the Capital Region.

“With poverty levels, unemployment and urban decay on the rise throughout the region, efforts to count every resident of the region are of critical importance because every federal dollar Cities like Albany, Schenectady, Troy and Amsterdam lose amount to another nail in the coffin of these municipalities,” declared Guillermo A. Martinez, co-chair of the Hispanic Complete Count Committee of the Capital Region.

"The Census is not over. Making sure every individual -- citizen and non-citizen -- is counted is a duty incumbent upon each of us. As a community, we need to spread the message to please open your doors to Census takers and cooperate -- or phone in your information to 1-866-872-6868 (English) or 1-866-928-2010 (Spanish).  It's easy, safe, and important. The Census is the tool for determining our fair share of federal resources. It's too important of an opportunity to not take seriously and let slip away,". said Lauren Rivera Whitlock, U.S. Census Bureau Partnership Specialist, in charge of Hispanic Outreach for the Capital Region.

"The census is important for all of us.  Please do not be left out.  Call your answers into the census at 1-866-872-6868.  Be sure to open your door to the census workers when they come to your homes.  We all count when we answer the census.  Remember, your answers are strictly confidential", said Mayor Gerald D. Jennings.

"At HOS we continue to witness an increased demand for basic social services, even as funding sources dwindle," said Dan Irizarry, Board President of Hispanic Outreach Services (HOS). "Latinos throughout the region must make an effort to be counted, so that the resources aimed at our community are commensurate with the need: it is our civic duty."

The 2010 Census is of critical importance to the financial well being of Capital Region communities as hundreds of millions of federal dollars to local governments are tied to population figures.  Efforts to reach out to the hard-to-count communities in the Capital Region are essential because of the much needed services and programs in these communities.

The Census enumerators will begin visiting and interviewing households that did not return their Census forms starting in May and going through July.  We must work to educate our community and continue our outreach to encourage their participation in the 2010 Census.  The National mail back participation rate is at 72%, however, we still need help to reach out hard-to-count communities here in the Capital Region.   It is critical that the historically undercounted, such as the Latino, African American, and immigrant communities know to open their doors and participate with Census takers or call their information into 1-866-872-6868 (English) or 1-866-928-2010 (Spanish).

# # #





COMUNICADO DE PRENSA

Para Publicación Inmediata